"Watch this." Justin grins at Grace from behind the bar.
"What are you doing?" She hisses back in a whisper, eyes darting to the entrance where Mackenzie stands talking to one of the men from the lighting crew.
The grin turns into an evil smirk and he brings a finger up over his lips. "Just watch."
Grace stands there helplessly as Justin grabs the remote off the bar top and hits a few buttons.
Suddenly, blaring out of the speakers than had been installed yesterday was the stripper anthem heard round the world, Def Leppard's ‘Pour some sugar on me'.
Grace lets out a giggle that never would have been able to be contained and Justin starts to dance behind the bar. They both watch Mackenzie finish up her conversation and the man walks out towards his car leaving the three of them alone.
"What is this crap playing for?" Mackenzie barks from where she stands, her hands on her hips.
Justin stops dancing and turns to her. "You don't recognize it?" Grace shots him a look but he continues to grin.
"Of course I recognize it." She rolls her eyes. "Why are we listening to it?"
Again Grace gives him a pleading look and he just laughs.
"No reason." He shrugs and turns the volume down. "Just thought it'd put you in a better mood. It is Christmas Eve after all."
"With that said, you can head on home Grace." Mackenzie rolls her neck. "I'm sure you've got somewhere else to be."
"Really?" She asks, not wanting to get her hopes too high. They've been putting in all sorts of hours in at the office and at the warehouse trying to get it ready for the party next week.
"Yeah, go on. We're finished here anyways."
"Great! Thanks so much." She turns to grab her jacket and her belongings. "Wait! Don't you need a ride back to the office?"
"Oh. Yeah." Mackenzie remembers that they rode over together.
"I've got you." Justin speaks up.
Both women turn to him.
"Why?" Mackenzie demands.
He shrugs. "It's Christmas. We're going to the same place. I can drive. No biggie."
"Well I guess that's settled." Grace smiles. "Merry Christmas!"
She hurries out the door and to her car. They both watch as she practically runs outside and to her car. Mackenzie giggles when the sounds of rocks being thrown as Grace peels out of the parking lot.
"We probably should get that paved before the party." She turns to Justin.
"As you wish." He bows down and she lets out a laugh.
He quirks an eyebrow at her. "Was that a laugh? Surely you didn't just laugh at something I said?"
She snorts and waves a hand to dismiss him. "Lapse of judgment. Or oxygen."
"And with a snappy comeback." He nods his head, biting his lip to hide the smile. "What's gotten into you Princess?"
"Are you going to keep calling me that?" She snaps at him.
"Depends." He pauses. "Does it bother you?"
She rolls her eyes and walks to the other bar that had been installed to grab her bag and jacket. Answering that question would only add fuel to the fire.
"We're leaving now?" He grins at her as she shoves her arms through her jacket. She narrows her eyes at him and he chuckles under his breath. "I'll take that as a yes."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"This is nice." Preston sighs deeply from his spot on the couch, stealing a look at both Justin and Mackenzie. "Thank you both for being here."
Seated beside him, she reaches out and places a hand on his. "Of course."
Justin looks at their hands and fights the urge to rolls his eyes.
Not that he's disturbed or grossed out by their relationship. But more so that it's so very typical of his father as of the last several years. A happily married man for 34 years but after the passing of his wife, Preston started dating women much, much younger than him.
Justin thought it was a phase and it would pass, mostly because the women were flakey and money hungry. None of them lasted more than a few weeks but Mackenzie has been around for almost four months and if he knows his dad, he's thinking it's time to settle down with her.
The very thought makes him choke on his rum and coke.
"You alright?" Preston turns to him.
Couching he nods his head. Taking a breath he swallows. "Yep, all good."
The elder Timberlake eyes him a minute before nodding. "Alright, let's do these gifts now."
"What?" Mackenzie looks at him, eyes wide. "It's not Christmas day. You'll ruin it."
"I think we'll be ok Mack." Justin says with a smile.
She rolls her eyes as Preston reaches under the tree and grabs two boxes, a smaller one and a large, flat one which he hands to Justin.
"I'll need your car one day next week." Justin greedily reaches for the box and tearing into it. "The dealership is gonna install the new sound system." He looks up. "Merry Christmas."
Preston laughs and sits back down beside Mackenzie. "How many times do I have to tell you, I don't need a sound system in the car."
Justin stops unwrapping and looks up at his father. "Yes, that car is a beast and you need something better than that piece of shit factory system they have. Besides, it's a gift and it's paid for."
Mackenzie rolls her eyes as Preston hands her the small box before leaning in and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Merry Christmas dear."
"You didn't have to." She holds the box in her hands. "The earrings were more than enough."
"Nonsense." He settles back on the couch as Justin starts opening the new laptop box without even glancing in their direction.
She bites her tongue to refrain from saying a smart comment to him about how it was rude to not see what everyone else got since they paid attention to him but this wasn't her home and ruffling any feathers is not what she wants to do on Christmas. No matter how much she dislikes him.
"Go on Mack." Justin opens the laptop and stars pressing the keys. "I already know what it is."
Heaving a sigh she gently unwraps the box and opens it. Inside lays a beautiful diamond cross necklace. It was stunning but big. Entirely too big for her. She looks up at him to protest but stops when she sees the look on his face.
It's hopeful and wishing and adoring.
There's no way she can break his heart.
"Thank you." She whispers.
Preston's face lights up and he visibly breathes a sigh of relief. "There's one more thing." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out an envelope.
"What's this?" She reaches out and takes it from him. He just shrugs and she rips it open. Inside is her every childhood dream come true.
"Well what the hell is it Mack?" Justin barks from the floor.
She blinks at him before looking back in the envelope. Two round trip plan tickets to Greece with an open date range.
She turns to the elder Timberlake and a lone tear slides down her cheek.
"That good?" He grins at her.
She can only nod her head before throwing her arms around him in a hug. "Thank you so much."
"You're welcome." He gives her a squeeze before pulling away.
Suddenly Justin jumps up. "Oh! I got you something too."
Her head snaps in his direction as he pulls a box from under the tree. "Just a little something to....to let you know that I know you a little better than I think you do."
She eyes him skeptically when he gives her a slightly corrupt smile. "I don't want it."
"Mackenzie." Preston chuckles beside her. "it's Christmas."
Turning back to Justin she holds her hands out. "Let's have it."
With a laugh, he hands her the box. "Merry Christmas mo-" He stops when she shoots him a look, already knowing where he's going with that. "Mackenzie." He corrections himself with another laugh.
Pulling the box into her lap she stares at it a second before opening it. Under the wrapping paper is simple black box.
"It's not the box." Justin smarts. "It's on the inside."
She gives Preston a helpless look before pulling the lid off. "Oh God." The lid drops to the floor and Justin lets out an uncontrollable laugh. "Is this for real?"
"What?" Preston looks in the box. "They're shoes. Women like shoes, right?"
She looks at him and back to Justin who just shrugs. Inside the box was a pair of 6 inch, red, platform, vinyl shoes. "Um, well. Ok then. Thank you."
"Anytime." Justin smiles brightly at her.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Thanks again for the ride home."
Justin watches her from the corner of his eye. He flexes his wrist around the steering wheel. "No biggie." He shrugs. "I was headed out anyways."
""Well, thanks." Mackenzie closes her eyes and rests her head against the back of the soft seat. "Stripper shoes?"
Justin starts laughing again and she cracks an eye at him. "I never said they were stripper shoes."
"They shiny, red platforms. Where would I ever wear them?"
"New Years Eve?" He grins at the thought.
She groans. "You're demented."
"You love me."
"I despise you."
"Come on Mack." He's still laughing. "It was a gag gift. I thought you'd laugh. Clearly you have no sense of humor."
"It was tasteless." She rolls her eyes.
He's still laughing as he pulls into her parking lot and throws the gearshift into park. "Relax mom. I have a real present for you."
She watches as he reaches behind him and pulls a brown flat bag from the backseat floorboard. "What is that?"
"Damn woman." He sits up and hands it to her. "Can't you ever just take a gift and be happy?"
She huffs and crosses her arms over her chest.
"Take the stupid thing." He shoves it at her, highly amused at her childish behavior.
She eyes the package before snatching it from his hand. Sliding her hand into the opening she pulls out a record. Flipping it over her eyes go wide and her mouth drops open. Justin watches with a feeling of pride and pure happiness as she runs her fingers of the record cover slowly.
He spent weeks searching and tracking down a signed copy of ‘Rubber Soul' after he had heard her humming ‘In my Life' one afternoon.
"Justin." She whispers, her eyes never leaving the record.
Something inside him reacts to the tone of her voice and while he welcomes in, it makes him a little uncomfortable.
She suddenly turns to him and her eyes are bright with unshed tears. "You have....no idea." She chokes out and he blushes under her intense stare. "Thank you so much."
Before he can react or say anything she's pressed a quick kiss on his check and climbing out of his car. He can only sit there and watch her walk towards her apartment in a dream-like haze.
